City on a Hill Review: The Wickedness of the Wicked Shall Be Upon Himself (Season 1 Episode 4)
The fragments are starting to snap together on City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 4, “The Wickedness of the Wicked Shall Be Upon Himself.”
The episode smartly reflects on the old ways holding back some from reaching their full potential. It falls on the shoulders of a number of its characters, as they attempt to do better, but someone close to them shackles them from going all the way.
Chiefly, it comes through Jenny Rohr’s loss of independence when she’s so close to claiming her life back. It may be difficult to tell if it’s the intimidation or the donation that leaves Father Doyle to abandon her, but all the same, Jenny’s indignation on the shift is a harsh reality: Jackie has a hold on her.
On City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 3, “If Only the Fool Would Persist in His Folly,” Jenny’s told to look out for herself and to see the world through her own eyes. Jill Hennessey plays Jenny as someone with perhaps too much hope in her heart, and so it becomes heartbreaking every episode to see those hopes dashed time and again by Jackie, either through dismissal or full-on acts of sabotage.
There’s also Cathy’s immediate stop to Kick seeing a counsellor about her nightmares. There’s this old school street view of matters being taken care of in the home, to never allow strangers into family matters.
It’s not quite about doing what’s best for Kick, but about public perception of how the Ryan family may be seen, talking to what Cathy calls a “head shrink.”
Jackie’s slow-motion car crash continues with wild abandon.
It’s always fascinating to watch how turned on, how turned up he is when in the presence of others. He’s always putting on a show for everyone else, trying to be this big persona and a bundle of energy. But, in the final moments of the episode, once everyone wanders away from the table with good news, he immediately deflates, as though he’s exhausted of himself.
Jackie spends a lot of the episode ruining other people’s day, so it’s not hard to see why. The lowest blow he’s done yet is turning Father Doyle’s relationship with Jenny to poison, cutting off his own wife’s potential.
He’s acting as though he can do anything and everything he wants, but the attempted mugging and the denial by Decourcy’s co-worker Rachel are signs that not everything is under his control. Perhaps it’s why he forces Jenny’s hand and tears apart her relationship with Father Doyle, to lash out one of the few things he can still control.
Decourcy’s like a dog with a bone once he has someone in the grand jury. The ebbs and flows of the grand jury looks to work through how likable and how easy someone can crack, and how they come across to the jury.
Once there’s a sign of sweat, though, Decourcy pounces with expert precision. Aldis Hodge’s performance in this scene in particular is a reminder that he’s capable of commanding this show with conviction and power. Decourcy mostly spends his time as a calm and collected soul, and so seeing him take on a more dominating force is a sight to behold.
City on a Hill Season 1 Episode 4, “The Wickedness of the Wicked Shall Be Upon Himself,” makes great use of its cast, the episode tackling the women of these dominant men’s lives. Some complement their partner’s lives, while others become caged.
It will be fascinating to watch, as the screws tighten, whose relationship proves stronger, as the gun ballistics and the grand jury turn looks to turn the tide.
What did you think of this episode of City on a Hill? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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City on a Hill airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.